Ephesians

Chapter 1

¹ Dear Brothers and Sisters in the faith [in the church at Ephesus], ^[1] that is to you who fully believe in Christ Jesus and are purified by Him. Greetings from Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, who became an apostle by the will of God.

² My prayer is that God the Father and our Lord Christ Jesus will always be kind to each of you and watch over you so that you live calmly under our Father’s and our Lord’s protection!

Spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus

³ Praise to God, who is the Father of our Lord Christ Jesus. Because we’ve become one with Christ, God has given us every spiritual blessing which is in heaven. ⁴ For God chose us before the world was created. That means He already loved us, and planned that we would be made pure and without blame before Him because of becoming one with Christ. ⁵ Before this world was created, God had already determined to adopt us as His children ^[2] through Christ Jesus, according to His will. That was pleasing to Him. ⁶ So we praise God for His glorious kindness which was freely given to us because we’re one with His beloved Son.

⁷ Through oneness with Christ, we’re redeemed by the sacrifice of His blood as payment for the punishment that we should bear for sin. That means we receive forgiveness of sin because of God’s amazing kindness to us. ⁸ His kindness was given to us in abundance, according to all the wisdom and understanding of God. ⁹ So now the plan of God has been revealed to us, that is His plan which was kept secret from man in the past. According to His will, God’s plan is centered in Christ, ¹⁰ and it will be completed by Him at a time which God determines. And this is the purpose of His plan: Christ will become the head of all things, both in heaven and on earth.

¹¹ Of course God arranges everything according to what He determines and desires. And it happens that we’ve been chosen from the beginning of the world to inherit the rights of His people ^[3] through being one with Christ. ¹² So we’re the first to become His people who hope in Christ! For that reason, let’s praise God for His glory. ¹³ In that way, when you heard the true teaching, which is the Good News about how God saved us, you believed in Christ. And because of that, God gave the Holy Spirit to you, which was promised by Him as a sign that you’re God’s possession. ¹⁴ His Spirit guarantees that we’ll receive everything that God has promised to His people. And through His Spirit we know that the price of our redemption has been paid in full. So I say again, let’s praise God for His glory!

Paul’s prayer

^15-16 Because of all of that, I always pray for you and thank God because of you. I haven’t stopped doing that since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people. ¹⁷ In my prayer to God, who is the glorious Father of our Lord Christ Jesus, I request that God give you more wisdom and spiritual knowledge through the Holy Spirit. In that way, you’ll know God more and more.

¹⁸ I also pray that God will make each of you able to understand and be certain of all the good things which He has already prepared for us, that is for us who were called to become His children. I also pray that you’ll know how rich and glorious is the inheritance which God has promised to us who are His people who were purified by Him. ¹⁹ And I pray that you’ll know that His power is so very great for us who believe. That power is the awesome strength of God ²⁰ which He used to bring Christ back to life from the dead. And that power was also seen when He placed Christ in the most honored place next to Him in heaven, which is at His right hand, ²¹ where Christ rules as High King over all governments, leaders, powers and kings, including the authorities of this present age and that which will come. ²² And God placed everything under the authority of Christ. God also made Him the head of the entire unified church of Christ, to lead us in all things. ²³ His unified church, which is a union made up of all of us who are filled with Christ’s Spirit, is the body of Christ in this world. And through His body, Christ fills and equips everything everywhere more and more.

Chapter 2

From death to life

¹ We were alive physically before this, of course, yet we were actually already dead spiritually. That happened because of our sins, and because we continually broke the commands of God. ² For at that time, we were always following the evil ways of this world and were also following the desires of the evil one, the devil, who’s now ruling over all the powers of darkness in this world. ^[1] He’s the authority in the lives of everyone who doesn’t want to obey God. ³ All of us used to live like that too, always trying to satisfy the desires that come from our bodies. And we were carried here and there by the current of our own desires. We also deserved to bear the anger of God, just like other people.

⁴ But God had compassion on us in a truly amazing way, and He truly loves us! ⁵ So while we were still spiritually dead and continually opposing His commands, God gave us new life. That happened because we were one with Christ and were spiritually to live again with Him when God brought Him back to life from death. So it’s clear that we’ve been saved only because of God’s kindness! ⁶ And because we’re one with Christ Jesus, we’ve also been spiritually raised up with Christ to heaven. So in a spiritual sense, we’re already sitting there with our King Jesus. ⁷ God did all of that so that in the age to come He could prove to us that He’s very kind to us. His kindness to those of us who are one with Christ Jesus is really very amazing!

⁸ What I mean is that we’re saved because of God’s kindness. And we receive that salvation only because we fully believe in Christ. We can’t be saved because of our own efforts. It’s God’s gift. ⁹ So we aren’t saved because we do good deeds. God has arranged this, of course, so that there isn’t anyone who can brag about his salvation. ¹⁰ Our salvation is the result of God’s work alone. We who are one with Christ Jesus are created to become new people. And in that way, we’re enabled to do the good things which God had planned for us to do from the beginning.

One in Christ

¹¹ I want to remind each of you who aren’t Jewish about the situation you were in before knowing Christ. You were called “people who aren’t circumcised” by the Jewish people, of course, because they call themselves “circumcised people.” They’re proud because they follow the tradition of circumcision, even though it’s only a sign made by human hands just on the bodies of men. It can’t change your life. ¹² Before you knew Christ, you had no hope of becoming citizens of God’s kingdom who are now spiritually the people of the new Israel. And you had no part at all in God’s promises to His people. So you lived in this world without hope and without knowing God. ¹³ But even though you used to be very far from Him, you’ve now been brought close to Him. For now you’re one with Christ Jesus and have been made pure through the sacrifice of Christ’s blood.

¹⁴ It’s only because of Christ that we can all be at peace with God, and that applies both to Jews and to non-Jews. In our state of being made one with Christ when He was crucified, we also have been made one as the people of God. So Christ Himself has broken down the wall of opposition that has divided us until now. ¹⁵ When that peace was made, Christ cancelled the Law and all of its commands, along with the rules of the law. That means that everyone, from every people group, if each of them is one with Christ, are as if created to become a new people group and a peaceful nation. ¹⁶ So through His sacrifice on the cross, Christ ended the opposition between Jewish people and non-Jewish people. And we all became like one body in which each part of the body is at peace with God. ¹⁷ And Christ has come and proclaimed peace, both to you who aren’t Jewish, that is to all the people groups which used to be far from God, and to us who are Jewish, the people group that used to be closer to God. ¹⁸ Now all of us, through what Christ did for us, have the right to come to the Father through the Holy Spirit who is in each of us.

¹⁹ So you who aren’t Jewish are no longer considered to be foreigners who don’t have any rights at all. But now you are included as part of the people who have been made pure by God, citizens of God’s kingdom and members of God’s family. ²⁰ All of us have become like a house which is built on large foundation stones that symbolize all the prophets and apostles. And the most important foundation stone ^[2] is Christ Jesus Himself. ²¹ When each of us becomes one with Christ, the whole building becomes larger until it becomes a holy Temple for God. ²² So we who come from all different people groups are being built together by Christ to become a place for God to dwell through the Holy Spirit.

Chapter 3

Paul is an apostle for non-Jewish people

¹ So I Paul, am now in prison because of my service for Christ Jesus, especially for what I do to help you who aren’t Jewish. ² Of course you’ve heard about the task given to me to tell you the news about God’s kindness. ³ That also includes the news which was given directly to me when God told me His secret plan, like what I have briefly written in this letter. ⁴ By reading this, you can understand what I already understand about the plan that God had kept secret from people in the past, which is the secret about Christ. ⁵ People who lived in former times were never told about that. But now God, through His Spirit, has revealed that secret to the messengers whom He has made pure, who are the apostles and people who’ve received the ability to prophesy. ⁶ And this is that secret, everyone who believes in the Good News about Christ Jesus, whether Jews or non-Jews, will inherit God’s kingdom together. These two become like parts of one body and together receive everything that God has promised to His people.

⁷ Through the power and kindness of God to me, I’ve become His servant who was given the task to tell that Good News. ⁸ That’s truly amazing, because among the people who have been purified by God, I’m the most lowly. But He gave that task to me only because of His kindness. And my task is to tell non-Jewish people about the many spiritual blessings that we receive abundantly through Christ. The abundance of His blessings is too amazing to be explained in human languages. ⁹ And I was chosen to reveal this plan of God’s to everyone. For this plan was kept hidden for many ages in the heart of God, the Creator of everything. ¹⁰ God’s will was that through us, that is through His entire unified church, all authorities in every level of heaven and all other spiritual authorities could witness the many ways God shows His wisdom, ¹¹ which was His plan from the beginning, which He accomplished through Christ Jesus our Lord. ¹² Because we who fully believe in Christ are one with Him, we feel free and no longer need to be afraid to come to God in prayer. ¹³ So, I request that you not be disappointed and not lose heart because you hear about what I’m experiencing in this prison. Instead, be proud because my suffering is for your sake.

Paul’s prayer that the church in Ephesus may know Christ’s love

¹⁴ For that reason, I kneel in prayer to the Father, ¹⁵ that is to Him who became the Father of us all, both those who are on earth and those who are in heaven. ¹⁶ I request, “Oh Father God, may Your name be glorified because You use Your unlimited power to strengthen every member of the church in Ephesus. Strengthen each of their hearts and spirits through your Spirit.” ¹⁷ And I pray that through the faith you possess, Christ will live in each of you, and that you’ll grow in the love which God has shown to us. And may that love become the foundation of your lives. ¹⁸ For I want you and all of God’s people to understand how broad, long, high and deep Christ’s love is for us. ¹⁹ I pray like that even though Christ’s love is too great for us to understand. But we try to understand His love, because in that way our lives are filled and equipped with God’s own power.

^20-21 May God, who is able to do far more than we can ask or think, always be glorified by the unity of His whole church. Glorify Him because of His amazing power which works in each of our lives. And because we’re one with Christ Jesus, glorify God from age to age forever! Amen!

Chapter 4

The oneness of the body of Christ

¹ Therefore, as one imprisoned because of serving the Lord, I advise each of you to live according to your calling as the people of God. ² Continually be humble, gentle and patient. Forgive each other, and love each other. ³ We have been unified and live in peace with each other because we’ve all received the Holy Spirit. Because of that, keep trying to maintain that oneness. ⁴ We’ve all become different parts of one body, which is the body of Christ. And we have the same Spirit of God, and God has called us to possess the same hope. ⁵ We believe in the one and only Lord alone and have the same faith. Ad we’ve all been baptized in the name of the same Lord. ⁶ And for all of us, there’s only one God and Father, who rules over everything, who is everywhere and in everything.

⁷ But Christ has given each of us special abilities according to His kindness to us. ⁸ That’s why in the Holy Bible it is written,

     “When He wins the battle, He’ll ascend to the highest place.

         He’ll humiliate everyone who opposes Him, because they’re captives of war forced to follow Him from behind.

         Then He’ll give different victory gifts to people who are on His side.” ^[1]

⁹ Notice that this verse says, “He’ll ascend.” This means that before that, Christ had descended to the lowest place on earth. ¹⁰ And He who descended to that place has now also ascended to a place that is far higher than the sky. He did that so that the whole universe is filled with His presence.

¹¹ So it’s Christ who gives different special abilities to us. There are those who receive the ability to become apostles, and those who receive the ability to prophesy or the ability to tell the Good News about Jesus or the ability to become pastors or the ability to teach God’s people. ¹² All of those abilities were given so that we can prepare and equip the people of God so that through the service of each of us, the body of Christ can be strengthened. ¹³ That work must continue so that we all become more unified in faith and in our knowledge of God’s Son. We should become more and more spiritually mature, and keep growing to become like Christ Himself.

¹⁴ So let’s not be like children anymore, who are easily influenced and carried here and there by the currents of new teaching. For there are many false teachers who mislead with tricky teaching that’s purposely made to look true. ¹⁵ Instead, let’s keep holding on to true teaching and always love each other. In that way, we’ll grow to become more and more like Christ in all of His character. This means that as parts of the body of Christ, we’ll be more and more like Him who is our Head. ¹⁶ He’s the one who arranges that every member is ordered and unified with perfection, so that we’re like a body which can move and grow because it has joints and all other body parts. When each part functions properly, we’re like a healthy body because we encourage each other and love each other.

The right way to live

¹⁷ I’m warning you in the name of the Lord, don’t live like those who don’t know God anymore. Their thinking is worthless, ¹⁸ and their understanding is still darkened. They’re very far from the way of life that God wants. That’s because they don’t know anything about God, and also because of their hardness of heart. ¹⁹ They aren’t ashamed. Because of that they give themselves fully to do all kinds of evil things, and they’re never satisfied.

²⁰ But that isn’t the way of life that you learned when you first came to know Christ! ²¹ You’ve heard about Him, of course, and learned about becoming one with Him according to the true teaching that we received from Him. ²² So each of you have been taught to leave the traits of your old life. That old life has to be thrown away like an old shirt. The old behavior was growing worse because we were led by lusts which easily deceived us. ²³ For that reason, allow your heart and mind to be renewed by God’s Spirit. ²⁴ Your whole life should become new, like putting on a new shirt. For you’ve been created to become a new person who looks more and more like God. That means you’ll truly live pure and right before Him.

²⁵ So because it’s as if you’ve changed that old shirt, that is your old life, don’t lie to your fellowman. “Speak the truth to each other,” ^[2] because we’re all parts of one body. ²⁶ And “when you get angry, don’t let that anger make you sin.” ^[3] Stop being angry before the sun sets. ²⁷ In that situation, don’t give the devil an opportunity to defeat you. ²⁸ If you were a thief before, don't steal anymore. And you should try to work with your own hands so that you have your own profit and can share part of that profit with people who are in need. ²⁹ When you speak, don’t let dirty words or words that are hurtful come out of your mouth. But speak what is necessary, so that your words help, bring about good things and strengthen those who hear. ³⁰ And don’t let your way of life make the Holy Spirit sad. For the Spirit is proof that you belong to God. And the Holy Spirit also guarantees your salvation at the last day. ³¹ Throw away all feelings of bitterness, revenge and anger from your life. Don’t quarrel and insult each other. Stop doing all kinds of evil. ³² But you should always be kind to each other, and love each other. And forgive each other’s faults the way God has forgiven you because you’re one with Christ.

Chapter 5

¹ So since you are God’s children, whom He loves, live right and clean from all wrong, like God Himself does. ² May you all love each other according to Christ’s example. For He loved us to the point that He gave Himself as a sacrifice for us. His offering was very fragrant and pleased God.

³ Don’t let there be any immorality, wickedness or greed among you. Those things aren’t at all appropriate for God’s people. ⁴ And among you there must not be those who speak evil, dirty or useless words. That isn’t proper for you any longer. But you should be thankful. ⁵ You should know this, people who commit sins of immorality, evil or greed won’t become citizens of the kingdom of Christ and God. People who are greedy are just like those who worship idols, because money has become their lord.

⁶ Don’t join in being deceived by misleading teaching! It’s precisely because people commit those sins that the wrath of God will fall on all those who don’t obey. ⁷ Because of that, don’t join in committing those sins like they do. ⁸ In the past, you lived in darkness, but now you’ve entered into the light of the Lord. So live as citizens of the Kingdom of Light. ⁹ For living in the light of God always produces all kinds of good deeds, a life that’s right and follows right teaching. ¹⁰ So try to find the things that please the Lord. ¹¹ Don’t continue to do what’s done by those who still live in darkness. That's all useless. Instead, you should each live and speak in a way that reveals that living in the darkness is wrong. ¹² For the things that they do in a dark and secret way are too shameful to even talk about. ¹³ But when their dark deeds are shown in the light, all of their deeds are obviously wrong, ¹⁴ because evil deeds will become visible when there’s light. That’s why this proverb is often quoted,

     “Wake up, you who are sleeping.

         Rise up from among the dead,

         and Christ will shine on you.”

¹⁵ So be careful how each of you lives. Don’t live like stupid people, but live like wise people. ¹⁶ By that I mean that you use every opportunity to do what’s good because this age is an evil age. ¹⁷ So don’t live carelessly but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do. ¹⁸ Don’t let your lives be controlled by wine which makes you drunk, because that can destroy you. Instead your life should be controlled by God’s Spirit. ¹⁹ Motivate each other by singing all kinds of praise songs to the Lord, including songs from the Book of Psalms or from God’s Word, and other spiritual songs. You should always sing with hearts that are happy to praise the Lord. ²⁰ And in every situation, always give thanks to God the Father because we have become one with our Lord Christ Jesus.

Advice to husbands and wives

²¹ You should be humble and ready to respect each other’s desires. ^[1] Do this because you honor Christ.

²² Wives, each of you should obey the will of your own husband, just like you obey the Lord’s will. ²³ For the husband is the head of the wife, just like Christ is the head of the whole church of God. We’re like the body of Christ that obeys the will of Christ who has saved us as His body. ²⁴ So just as the whole church is the body of Christ and obeys His will, so the wife must also obey the will of her husband in everything. ^[2]

²⁵ Husbands, you should love your wife just like Christ has loved us, to the point of offering Himself as a sacrifice for the whole church, ²⁶ so that we might be made pure and become His special possessions. We’ve also been purified through God’s Word which Jesus taught. God’s Word is like pure water that cleanses us. ^{[3] 27} That's why Christ died for us, so that we as His unified church are made special for Him alone, just like a groom takes a bride to be his wife. By that I mean that we’re cleansed and glorified in a special way to live continually with Him, without sin, guilt, or any stain at all. ²⁸ So in that way each husband should love his wife just like he loves his own body. For when a husband loves his wife it's the same as loving himself. ²⁹ No one has ever hated his own body. Everyone feeds and cares for his body, and that’s what Christ always does for His church, ³⁰ for we are parts of His body. ³¹ That agrees with what’s written in the Holy Bible, “In marriage, a man always leaves his father and mother and is united with his wife so that the two of them become one.” ^{[4] 32} The teaching that I’ve just revealed is very deep. My point is that one of the meanings of that verse is about Christ and the unity of all His churches. ³³ So in conclusion, each husband must love his wife just as he loves himself, and each wife must obey her husband.

Chapter 6

Advice to children and parents

¹ Children, obey your parents. If you’ve become the Lord’s follower, you should obey them. ² Remember the Lord’s command: “Honor your father and mother.” That command is the first one to be accompanied with a promise from God, ³ which is, “Honor them so that you’ll obtain kindness and live long in this world.” ^[5]

⁴ Fathers, don’t make your children bitter, but raise them with instruction and advice according to the Lord’s will.

Advice to slaves and masters

⁵ And to everyone who was sold as a slave to his master: ^[1] Obey your masters in this world with feelings of fear, full of respect. And do it with all your heart, just like you obey Christ. ⁶ Always do what they want, whether they’re present or not. Don’t just pretend to work, because Christ is really your Master! So you should serve your earthly masters wholeheartedly and according to the Lord's will. ⁷ Do your duties gladly because you’re actually serving the Lord, not man. ⁸ And remember that the Lord will give a reward to everyone who does good, both to those living as slaves and to free men.

⁹ The same is true for each of you masters, you should treat your slaves well. Don’t make them afraid by always threatening them. Remember that both you and they have the same Lord in heaven, who judges everyone impartially.

Wear all of the battle equipment that God gives

¹⁰ As final instructions, you should each become strong because you keep on hoping completely in the Lord’s amazing power, and also because you have become one with Him. ¹¹ Just like a soldier wears equipment for war, you must wear all the battle equipment that God gives us. In that way you can reject the devil’s lies. ¹² For we aren’t fighting against people on this earth, but we fight against evil spirits and all the powers who rule those evil spirits. They’re the ones who now control this dark world from the sky above. ¹³ That’s why you need to use all the tools of war from God so that when the enemy comes to attack you, you won’t run, but you can oppose him and keep enduring until the war is over.

¹⁴ So stand firm. Hold on to the true teaching from God, because that true teaching is like a belt that makes you ready to act. Live a righteous life because a righteous life is like a metal vest that will protect you from the enemy’s attacks. ¹⁵ And keep holding on to the Good News about Christ. That news helps you to feel calm in God's protection. Continually hold on to that news just like a soldier always wears strong boots so that you stand firm in war. ¹⁶ Besides that, keep believing in the Lord. For your faith is like a shield that protects you from all of the flaming arrows that the devil shoots at us. ¹⁷ Be sure that God has saved you, because that's like your war helmet. And hold onto all of God’s words like holding a sword, because His words have the power of the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ Always pray in every situation, and hope completely in the Holy Spirit for everything you need. You should be alert for things that need to be prayed for. Don’t give in! Keep praying for all of God’s people.

¹⁹ And I hope you’ll pray for me too. Pray that the Lord gives me wisdom so that I'll speak boldly when I give the Good News that used to be kept secret. ²⁰ For I’m God’s messenger to tell about His kingdom, even though at this moment I’m in prison and bound with chains. So pray that I can tell the news from God with boldness, as that's my duty.

Final greetings

^21-22 Our beloved brother Tychicus has brought this letter to you. He serves the Lord very faithfully as our brother who has become one with the Lord. I also sent him so that he could give you news about my situation and ministry, so that you can know about our situation, and so that he can strengthen your hearts.

²³ Brothers and Sisters, I pray that God our Father and our Lord Christ Jesus will watch over you so that you live calmly in the Lord's protection. He’s the one who makes you always love each other and keep holding on to our faith. ²⁴ To all who love our Lord Christ Jesus with undying love, I pray that God will always be kind to you.